1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food compositions having juice vesicles derived from citrus fruits as the basic ingredient.
2. The Prior Art
Certain waste materials are produced in the manufacture of juice from the fruit, particularly from citrus fruit. For years problems with the disposal of the waste fruit material have prompted attempts to utilize this waste material. Initial screening separates layer material such as peel and seeds from the juice. Generally, the layer material is dried, comminuted, and used for cattle feed. For citrus fruit, the peel material can be elaborately processed to provide purified pectin useful for jelly, jam and the like.
Finer materials (i.e., pulp) associated with the juice are similarly segregated from the juice by screening. A variety of terms have been loosely used in the art to refer to this pulp material or parts thereof in its various physical or processed forms. It has been called at various times in its untreated state, "juice vesicles," "juice sacs" or "finisher pulp." The juice vesicles are the membranes forming the juice sacs. During juicing operations, the juice sacs rupture and release their juice. Thus, for purposes of the present invention "juice vesicles" is used synonymously for the residual citrus juice sac materials remaining after the release of the juice from the juice sac.
In one typical commercial juice production, the pulp is washed to recover cold water soluble sugars which are present in the pulp material in dilute amounts. Although the cold water soluble sugars are initially present in relatively high concentrations on a dry solids basis, e.g., 30% by weight, on a wet basis the sugars concentration is quite low since the total solids' content of the finisher pulp is only 3% to 5%. Some pectin-like materials are also washed away along with the soluble sugars to leave a material dubbed "washed juice vesicles."
Large volumes of washed juice vesicles or pulp are produced as a result of the washing operations to recover the more valuable sugars. Virtually all the washed orange pulp, for example, is combined with other citrus waste material and used locally for cattle feed. Such a practice results in part from the high shipping costs due to the high moisture content of washed orange pulp which commonly ranges from about 12% to 98% by weight. Also partly responsible is the low level of assimilable carbohydrates due to the washing operations described above. Furthermore, the pulp is not a good source of pectin for extraction for commercial production compared to the peel. Accordingly, while potentially suitable for human consumption, juice pulp remains an under-utilized food material.
Numerous attempts have been made in the past to attempt to employ washed juice pulp as a food source for humans. Due to the storage and shippage problems associated with using washed juice pulp in its wet form, most past attempts have employed dried pulp (e.g., drum dried, solvent dried or spray dried). Such material has been called when derived from citrus fruits at various times citrus flour, dried juice sacs, and citrus fiber flour. Material of similar chemical composition but different physically which has been derived from drying citrus albedo has been called protopectin. Such suggested utilization is based upon the excellent water-binding and good-oil binding properties of the material. One reference (see "Processing and Potential Uses for Dried Juice Sacs," by J. W. Kesterson and R. J. Braddock, Food Technology, Feb. 1973, pp. 52-54) suggests its utilization in a wide variety of food products, but has no teaching of actual use in any food product.
However, notwithstanding such optimistic speculation concerning potential usage, difficulties have arisen in the practical efforts to utilize the dried juice vesicle material or protopectin material derived therefrom even in additive amounts. Several art efforts have been made at incorporating small amounts into breads or cakes of treated, dried protopectin derived from citrus residue including from dried juice vesicles (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,548 issued Sept. 13, 1960 to L. T. Work; U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,756 issued June 22, 1965 to W. Aurell; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,020 issued July 20, 1965 to W. Aurell). These patents disclose elaborately treating the dried protopectin with various lipids or colloid materials to decrease the rate or amount of hydration of the protopectins. Without such treatment, these patents teach that the rapid hydration of these extremely hydrophilic materials causes doughs or batters to set quickly into non-elastic solid masses which are unsuitable for bread or cake production. Alternatively, it has been taught that cakes containing small amounts or untreated dried protopectin can be realized by formulating doughs of low gluten flours such as potato flour. (See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,757 issued Dec. 23, 1958 to W. Aurell).
In some instances, the pulp is recovered and freeze-dried to be used in dry juice powders which form orange juice drinks when reconstituted with water (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,993 issued Apr. 19, 1966 to R. C. Webster et al.).
However, other efforts have been made to employ the washed orange pulp in its raw, i.e., undehydrated form. One early attempt prepared a frozen, popsicle-like dessert using major amounts of citrus pulp. (See U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,221 issued Apr. 19, 1966 to Webster et al.)
More recently, washed orange pulp has been added to intermediate moisture foods (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,093 issued May 27, 1980 to J. R. Blake). Also, washed orange pulp has been disclosed as being useful in a specially prepared comestible base involving controlled cooking of the citrus pulp in combination with other essential ingredients (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,053 issued Nov. 4, 1980 to J. R. Blake) and to non-dairy dessert compositions (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,981 issued Jan. 13, 1981 to J. R. Blake) each containing the comestible base. These patents recognize that irreversible changes in the juice pulp material occur upon conventional thermal dehydration. Thus, recent advances in the art of using these materials ditinguish between dried juice pulp material and "raw" or pulp material which has not been subjected to extensive heat treatment such as thermal dehydration.
Notwithstanding the state of the art as described above, however, there is a continuing need for food products for human consumption employing raw citrus juice pulp since most juice pulp remains a waste product.
One popular food item is yogurt, particularly fruit flavored yogurt. However, yogurt has several disadvantages. It is relatively high in calories. Also, the major ingredient, fresh whole milk, is relatively expensive. Additionally, yogurt must be distributed cooled (i.e., in a dairy case) since it is not freeze-thaw stable. Due to its distribution in a merely chilled state, yogurt has limited shelf stability. Moreover, yogurt is highly subject to light induced rancidity.
It would be desirable to make a product texturally similar to a product as familiar as pudding or yogurt using as a major ingredient under utilized materials such as juice pulp which presently is used only in minute quantities. Certain problems, however, unexpectedly arise in the realization of such products. One problem is the tendency of the raw juice pulp material itself to "clump" or to form a non-homogeneous mass. Still other problems arise when either fat sources or milk products are added to major amounts of juice pulp. In both the cases of fat(s) addition and milk products addition, a problem of "curdling" or "agglomeration" arises.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide food products of reduced ingredient cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide food products having high amounts of fiber.
Another object of the present invention is to provide food products which provide high satiety upon consumption.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide food products containing fat or milk ingredients that exhibit minimal curdling.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior food compositions provided having a creamy consistency by formulating compositions containing major amounts of washed, raw homogenized juice vesicles or pulp. Such compositions additionally comprise an acidified milk product, a nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agent, and an acidulant.
Throughout the specification and claims, percentages and ratios are by weight and temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit, unless otherwise indicated.